More serious consideration of people’s views over Northern Gateway is needed

THE City Council is this week publishing its proposed Area Action Plan for the future development of the land known as the Northern Gateway, which is bordered by Pear Tree roundabout to the north, the Bicester railway line to the east, the A34 to the west and Joe White’s Lane and the Godstow Road to the south.

It was identified at the Core Strategy Inquiry in 2011 as land suitable for development, employment-led, provided the traffic implications could be addressed adequately.

Since then, people have highlighted the needs of Oxford and Oxfordshire to build on current strengths in scientific research and university spin-offs to ensure its future prosperity.

The City Deal identified key locations for new science and technology research and development, and provided funds to address congestion issues at the Wolvercote and Cutteslowe roundabouts and a new link road between the A40 and the A44.

The Northern Gateway site is planned to provide up to 8,000 jobs over the next ten or so years. Where will these people come from?

There are very optimistic suggestions that most will arrive on foot, bicycle, bus or train.

It seems unarguable that most will not come from Oxford itself, but from the surrounding areas – wherever they can find somewhere to live.

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The need for housing of all types in Oxford and Oxfordshire has been underlined by the recent figures of estimated need over the next ten or more years.

Oxford’s unmet need alone suggests that an extra 20,000 dwellings will be needed over this time and they clearly cannot be provided within Oxford’s boundaries.

It will be essential to plan jointly across the county for more housing in places well served by public transport, in well-designed communities with appropriate facilities for a good quality of life.

Any sites allocated for housing within the Northern Gateway must meet these criteria.

The County Council is the first to admit that while the proposed improvements to the roundabouts and the new link road will address the current problems, more measures elsewhere will be needed to mitigate the impact of any development on the Northern Gateway site.

More funds for an additional link road through the site and the necessary new junctions will help. But unless the traffic on the A40 and the A44 can be significantly reduced, there is little prospect of the site being able to integrate in any meaningful way with the immediately surrounding communities.

What is needed, is a redirection of A40 west-east traffic onto the new western link road to the A34 and the M40 – so that the current A40 through north Oxford becomes a 30mph suburban road, rather than a major artery carrying massive HGVs and traffic that only wants to get past Oxford, not into it.

The land between the A40 and Wolvercote village is currently Green Belt.

The Inspector at the Core Strategy Inquiry said that a highly focused boundary review in this area could be carried out to consider whether exceptional circumstances exist to justify release of Green Belt land.

The consultation on the preferred options document came out strongly in favour of keeping the boundary where it is, supported by 73 per cent of respondents.

The City Council says that it has carried out the review, with no public involvement, and decided to move the boundary regardless of public opinion. The Liberal Democrat view is that there should be a review, with public consultation, of the entire Green Belt round Oxford to see whether exceptional circumstances would justify redrawing the boundary without harm to the functions of the Green Belt.

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The whole process is being rushed to meet extremely tight deadlines. It is too important a site to be pushed through, without more serious consideration of the views of local people and others who will be affected by it. Local people are essential development partners.

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Comments (4)

More serious consideration of people’s views over Northern Gateway is needed

jamiek says...11:57am Thu 17 Jul 14

Im sorry but why have we got a silly picture of this woman standing by a roundabout?????????? ??

Im sorry but why have we got a silly picture of this woman standing by a roundabout??????????
??jamiek

Im sorry but why have we got a silly picture of this woman standing by a roundabout?????????? ??

Score: 1

West Oxon Webwatcher says...4:41pm Thu 17 Jul 14

The county council seems to think that a link road running close to the A34 linking the A40 to the A44 roundabout will take a lot of traffic (P & R & M40 bound) away from the Woodstock Road roundabout. I cannot see this happening. By the time P & R users get to the A40 junction they will only be a few hundred yards away from the Woodstock roundabout. After queing for miles on the A40 they will not want to drive north on the link road to access another oundabout and then go south again through the heavily congested Pear Tree roundabout to get to the P & R car park. Any additional traffic using the link road would just make Peartree congestion worse than at resent. Similarly, traffic from west oxon heading east for the M40 will not tolerate A40 queues for miles to get to this new link road. They will do what many do at present and use the A4095 to get from Witney area to Bladon and beyond. The roundabout works should ease congestion but not cure it but when the inevitable big increase in traffic from the thousands of homes to be built in West Oxon is added, congestion will be worse than at present. What is needed is a either a complete re-routing of the A40 to avoid North Oxford as proposed by the government when the A40 was a truck road back in 1986 or new means of avoiding road use such as a rail/tram route taking traffic from west Oxon into Oxford and then onto Cowley. Either would be much greener solutions to the present deteriorating conditions.

The county council seems to think that a link road running close to the A34 linking the A40 to the A44 roundabout will take a lot of traffic (P & R & M40 bound) away from the Woodstock Road roundabout. I cannot see this happening. By the time P & R users get to the A40 junction they will only be a few hundred yards away from the Woodstock roundabout. After queing for miles on the A40 they will not want to drive north on the link road to access another oundabout and then go south again through the heavily congested Pear Tree roundabout to get to the P & R car park. Any additional traffic using the link road would just make Peartree congestion worse than at resent. Similarly, traffic from west oxon heading east for the M40 will not tolerate A40 queues for miles to get to this new link road. They will do what many do at present and use the A4095 to get from Witney area to Bladon and beyond. The roundabout works should ease congestion but not cure it but when the inevitable big increase in traffic from the thousands of homes to be built in West Oxon is added, congestion will be worse than at present. What is needed is a either a complete re-routing of the A40 to avoid North Oxford as proposed by the government when the A40 was a truck road back in 1986 or new means of avoiding road use such as a rail/tram route taking traffic from west Oxon into Oxford and then onto Cowley. Either would be much greener solutions to the present deteriorating conditions.West Oxon Webwatcher

The county council seems to think that a link road running close to the A34 linking the A40 to the A44 roundabout will take a lot of traffic (P & R & M40 bound) away from the Woodstock Road roundabout. I cannot see this happening. By the time P & R users get to the A40 junction they will only be a few hundred yards away from the Woodstock roundabout. After queing for miles on the A40 they will not want to drive north on the link road to access another oundabout and then go south again through the heavily congested Pear Tree roundabout to get to the P & R car park. Any additional traffic using the link road would just make Peartree congestion worse than at resent. Similarly, traffic from west oxon heading east for the M40 will not tolerate A40 queues for miles to get to this new link road. They will do what many do at present and use the A4095 to get from Witney area to Bladon and beyond. The roundabout works should ease congestion but not cure it but when the inevitable big increase in traffic from the thousands of homes to be built in West Oxon is added, congestion will be worse than at present. What is needed is a either a complete re-routing of the A40 to avoid North Oxford as proposed by the government when the A40 was a truck road back in 1986 or new means of avoiding road use such as a rail/tram route taking traffic from west Oxon into Oxford and then onto Cowley. Either would be much greener solutions to the present deteriorating conditions.

Score: 1

wolvercoter says...6:02pm Sat 19 Jul 14

There is a science park already being developed at Begbroke ten minutes drive up the A44. I do not see why Oxford city particularly needs another one. This seems to me a case of Oxford city unable to peer beyond its not very big boundaries. A good case for doing away with a separate authority. The county should cover Oxford as well and be able to take the larger view.

There is a science park already being developed at Begbroke ten minutes drive up the A44. I do not see why Oxford city particularly needs another one. This seems to me a case of Oxford city unable to peer beyond its not very big boundaries. A good case for doing away with a separate authority. The county should cover Oxford as well and be able to take the larger view.wolvercoter

There is a science park already being developed at Begbroke ten minutes drive up the A44. I do not see why Oxford city particularly needs another one. This seems to me a case of Oxford city unable to peer beyond its not very big boundaries. A good case for doing away with a separate authority. The county should cover Oxford as well and be able to take the larger view.

Score: 2

wolvercoter says...6:04pm Sat 19 Jul 14

" provided the traffic implications could be addressed adequately. " was the proviso of the Inspector. Well it hasn't been.

" provided the traffic implications could be addressed adequately. "
was the proviso of the Inspector. Well it hasn't been.wolvercoter

" provided the traffic implications could be addressed adequately. " was the proviso of the Inspector. Well it hasn't been.

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